I sit my carbon filter on the floor and put my inline fan directly on top of it. I did this when I started growing 8 years ago and they fit fine. Now I have different models and some fit and some don't of the same model, it makes no sense. My question is can I use the 8 year old carbon filters still? Like can they go bad or back up with stuff in them that they sucked in like micro particles? The air pressure coming out of the ducting is very good pressure so they ain't clogged or anything. I don't care about smell at all.
Do carbon filters ever go bad? I don't care about smell at all
- Thread starter Meast21
- Start date
Kola_Kreator
Well-Known Member
If you don't care about the smell what is the carbon filter being used for?
Carbon filter have a life span. The carbon will only filter until it can't filter effectively any more and then they need replacing.
Carbon filter have a life span. The carbon will only filter until it can't filter effectively any more and then they need replacing.
HydroKid239
Well-Known Member
Hook it up in a room with a single tent & test it out. Ya never know.
ooof-da
Well-Known Member
GAC is an expendable media. If you don’t care about smell why push the extra pressure (additional power) reqd to move thru the media? Regarding the buildup- a GAC filter creates a “tortuous path” so unless you reverse the flow (which I don’t see why anyone would do) outside of the y-o-y of continuous loading causing additional psi loss thru the bed until the fan can’t push it, I don’t see it ever becoming an issue of allowing particles to breakthrough or something. Basically a dirty filter is in a lot of ways a better/tighter filter than a clean one.
amneziaHaze
Well-Known Member
its not a hepa filter.only function is to remove smell.
but yes they can get clogged if you have shit flying in the room that gets sucked in. as any other air car filter.
now if you suck air from it then you just need to clean that white foam on the outside
but yes they can get clogged if you have shit flying in the room that gets sucked in. as any other air car filter.
now if you suck air from it then you just need to clean that white foam on the outside
My filter is in my tent and airflow going through my light cooling it off then out my tent is the same as it was 8 years ago.
NotTheRobot
Well-Known Member
If you don't care about smell why are you using carbon filters?
They don't go "bad", they go used. https://verywellhome.com/how-long-do-carbon-filters-last/ suggests months to clog up depending on what they are doing.
ismann
Well-Known Member
There are two things which contribute to carbon filtration: porosity and charge.
Porosity is how porous the material is. One pound of carbon has a surface area of about 0.15 square miles. Using a pre-filter is key so you don't block all that surface area with large dust particles.
Most carbon filters are filled with "activated" charcoal meaning it has a positive charge to it. This part doesn't matter much since the material we want filtered out of the air "volatile organic compounds" have no net charge to them. They're absorbed and locked into the charcoal via the process above. However, if there are negatively charged contaminants in the air, the filter will bind them into the carbon material.
Overtime, the filter will fill up with microscopic contaminants and filtration will be compromised. If your filter can be refilled easily, you can buy carbon substrate and refill it. Never try to reuse carbon material by heating it in the oven as you are releasing all of the contamination back into the air. Just throw it away.
Porosity is how porous the material is. One pound of carbon has a surface area of about 0.15 square miles. Using a pre-filter is key so you don't block all that surface area with large dust particles.
Most carbon filters are filled with "activated" charcoal meaning it has a positive charge to it. This part doesn't matter much since the material we want filtered out of the air "volatile organic compounds" have no net charge to them. They're absorbed and locked into the charcoal via the process above. However, if there are negatively charged contaminants in the air, the filter will bind them into the carbon material.
Overtime, the filter will fill up with microscopic contaminants and filtration will be compromised. If your filter can be refilled easily, you can buy carbon substrate and refill it. Never try to reuse carbon material by heating it in the oven as you are releasing all of the contamination back into the air. Just throw it away.
amneziaHaze
Well-Known Member
i heard that you can bake it in the oven but i never tried that or maybe cook it in water no idea. maybe it works.but i would think the whole house would stink
Nope_49595933949
Well-Known Member
Just get rid of the filter if you don't care about the smell.
